


Of machines & technicians

by Partially Deceased Sherlock (Vintage_lover_who)



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Comforting, Drabble, Fluff, Gen, John is lovely and so is Sherlock, Johnlock - Freeform, Mental Illness, TW: Depictions of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 05:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4509681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vintage_lover_who/pseuds/Partially%20Deceased%20Sherlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock is feeling real low. Fortunately, he's got a doctor as a boyfriend.</p><p>Drabble originally posted to my Tumblr page: wibblywobblyconsultingdetective</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of machines & technicians

Sherlock hadn’t really moved all day. He had walked around the flat for half an hour and decided it was not worth it. So there he was now, laying on the sofa, looking at the ceiling. Usually, that “existential angst” that seemed to follow him around was just a constant presence at the back of his mind, one that wouldn’t leave but that if he tried hard enough, he could block whenever he was around people. Yet it was in days like this, in which John had much more work than usual and there were no interesting cases to solve and he found himself at home alone that Sherlock couldn’t hold it back anymore. The worst part about those feelings was that they never “announced” themselves, so even if Sherlock was having a good day, there was no guarantee the emptiness wouldn’t show.

He had been on the couch for so long that his muscles felt numb yet he felt no desire to move. His stomach did not register hunger or thirst and he didn’t feel sleepy either, so he kept on contemplating space, thoughts running through his head, tiring him.

 

When John came home, he found a very distressed Sherlock, but not in the usual way; he wasn’t yelling “bored!” or shooting things or experimenting. He was just laying down, facing the wall. John had experienced a couple of bad days along with his flatmate, though he had been able to fix things quickly. This time, Sherlock seemed to be so off he hadn’t even noticed his arrival.

John went to their room and back, went into the kitchen to put the kettle on, opened the fridge a couple of times and even retrieved something from the sitting room, obtaining no reaction from the consulting detective. Then he had an idea.

By the time he finished everything, Sherlock was already facing the room, still muted. Quietly, John sat down beside Sherlock and held one of his hands. He didn’t say anything to explain his actions nor looked back at the dark-haired man. Sherlock glanced down at their entwined hands and raised a brow, unable to understand yet, but as the minutes passed, the awkwardness gave way to fondness and Sherlock felt his throat tighten and his eyes begin to water. Tears started streaming down his face; neither John nor him moved.

They remained silent until Sherlock’s tears receded. Then John pulled the man towards him, settling Sherlock’s head on his lap and started stroking his hair. Sherlock sighed in contentment. After a couple of minutes, it was precisely the consulting detective who broke the silence.

 

“Thank you”

“Whatever for?” asked John, still petting him.

“For knowing exactly what I need even before I do”

“You know how I’ve always said you’re a machine?” Sherlock frowned in confusion but nodded regardless.

 

“Well, I still think that way”, continued John, making Sherlock snort. “You know, you’re this rational, observing and calculating being that seems to work solely on willpower and that is very much always reliable”.

Sherlock still didn’t know where John expected to get with this but he let him go on. 

“Nevertheless, machines can have problems from time to time; they freeze, they get stuck, they require updates and that’s why we have technicians”. John looked directly into Sherlock’s eyes. “That’s what I am, your technician”.

At that very moment, Sherlock couldn’t hold back a smile, that was returned by John. The consulting detective grabbed his best friend’s hand and kissed the top of it, apologetically.

“I’m sorry I have to be such ‘high-maintenance’, John”.

“What are you saying?” asked John, incredulous. “It’s true that machines require a bit of work, but without such machines, what would be the purpose of a technician?”

Another bright smile graced the consulting detective’s face as John lowered himself to place a kiss on his forehead. Sherlock closed his eyes to concentrate on the feeling of his partner’s lips on him and thought that, as usual, John was right; they needed each other, and even more important, they had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this headcanon that Sherlock suffers from episodes of depression and I wanted to explore that a bit. I may keep posting drabbles but I'm not entirely sure of it.  
> Anyhow, hope you enjoyed!


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